Obeisance to Guru, the embodiment of the Absolute, whose name I cherish in my memory, whose name I utter, whose praises I sing, who I offer salutations to. Every pore of King Dileepa’s body was filled with this feeling. That is why he attained what he desired by following the orders of the great saint Vasishtha. Shall we learn that story?

The kings in the Sun dynasty achieved lasting fame by the grace of Guru Vasishtha. King Harishchandra and other great kings like him became worthy of always being remembered only by the grace and protection of the Guru. Everyone in the sun dynasty followed a dharmic way of life. Dileepa belonged to this dynasty. King Dileepa was very great. He was as great as he was loved by his people. He, in turn, also loved his people very dearly. He even conducted several rituals and ceremonies for his people’s benefit. He even undertook religious vows for their welfare. He conducted dharmic activities only for the welfare of others. Even after doing so much, this great king didn’t have any progeny.

One day, Dileepa’s wife got sad wondering why they could not have children. Dileepa was also sad and proposed to his wife that they pray to sage Vasishtha and do as the sage commands. Dileepa and his wife were in full agreement. They went to the sage’s ashrama and decided to do as he ordered. They prayed to the sage. The sage sent them to stay in the Ashrama for a few days. As soon as they left to settle in the Ashrama, the sage sat down to meditate. With his divine vision, he looked in to why king Dileepa had no children. He saw that a curse was preventing Dileepa from having children. What curse was it? It was the curse of Kamadhenu (the divine cow that grants all wishes). But Kamadhenu was in Patala Loka (nether world) and it was usually difficult to get hold of. In place of Kamadhenu, it’s child Nandinidhenu was in the ashrama. Sage Vasishtha decided to get Nandini to bless king Dileepa.

Immediately, he called for the couple and asked them to worship Nandinidhenu saying, “From today, Nandinidhenu is completely your responsibility. Do as Nandini says. Place all your burden on Nandini. How you protect her is not my concern. Nandinidhenu must be as happy with you as she is with me. Protect her and look after her carefully. I don’t care how you do it.”

Dileepa and his wife obeyed the sage’s orders. From then on, they cared for Nandinidhenu like she was their own child. They looked after her with a lot of care and respect. Jaya Guru Datta.